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The Sound of Unwanted Praise

Lesson Review Note

πŸ”‘

Chat Expressions

earphones이어폰
parental leaveμœ‘μ•„ 휴직
maternity leaveμΆœμ‚° 휴직
backingλ’€λ₯Ό λ°›μ³μ£ΌλŠ” 것/λ°°κ²½/μ§€μ§€
it is what it isμ–΄μ©” 수 μ—†μ§€/그게 ν˜„μ‹€μ΄μ§€

It is what it is

상황을 λ°”κΏ€ 수 없을 λ•Œ μ²΄λ…ν•˜κ±°λ‚˜ 받아듀이며 μ“°λŠ” ν‘œν˜„μž…λ‹ˆλ‹€. "이미 λ²Œμ–΄μ§„ 일이닀", "μ–΄μ©Œκ² μ–΄"λΌλŠ” λ‰˜μ•™μŠ€μ˜ˆμš”.

Parental vs. Maternity leave

'Maternity'λŠ” μ–΄λ¨Έλ‹ˆμ˜ μΆœμ‚° νœ΄κ°€μ— μ§‘μ€‘λœ ν‘œν˜„μ΄κ³ , 'Parental'은 λΆ€λͺ¨ λͺ¨λ‘λ₯Ό ν¬ν•¨ν•˜λŠ” μ’€ 더 포괄적인 μœ‘μ•„ νœ΄μ§μ„ λœ»ν•©λ‹ˆλ‹€.

Backing

이 λ‹¨μ–΄λŠ” λˆ„κ΅°κ°€λ₯Ό μ§€μ§€ν•œλ‹€λŠ” λœ»λ„ μžˆμ§€λ§Œ, κ·€κ±Έμ΄μ˜ λ’€ 마개(earring backing)λ‚˜ μ–΄λ–€ 물건의 뒷뢀뢄을 μ˜λ―Έν•˜κΈ°λ„ ν•©λ‹ˆλ‹€.

Clara was a woman of few words. She loved her earphones more than people because they served as a "Do Not Disturb" sign for her face. After returning from her maternity leave, she wanted nothing more than to blend into the office walls and work in peace. To help her focus, she bought a pair of bright, gold-plated headphones.

"Oh my god, Clara! I love what you did with your gear!" her coworker, Jim, shouted the moment she sat down. Clara winced. She wanted to say, "Stop it, you’re making me blush," but she just stared. "That gold really works for you," he continued. "It gives you a very professional backing."

Clara tried to ignore him, but as she walked to the breakroom, the compliments followed her like a shadow. "You’ve got a great sense of style," a manager noted. "Not everyone can pull off that gold, but you do!" Clara sighed. She realized that by trying to hide, she had picked the loudest accessory in the building.

Even her friend, who was preparing for his own parental leave, stopped by. "Those are incredible! You always pick the perfect accessories. Where did you get them?"

Exasperated by the endless small talk, Clara took the headphones off and left them on the "Free Snacks" table. She sat at her desk, bare-eared, thinking she was finally safe. But five minutes later, a group of interns walked by.

"Whoa, Clara! I love your hairstyle today! Without those bulky headphones, your natural look really suits you. You look great in anything!"

Clara put her face in her hands. There was no escaping the kindness of her coworkers. She looked at the empty desk and whispered, "it is what it is." She realized she was just the kind of person people loved to talk toβ€”headphones or not.


ν΄λΌλŠ” λ§μˆ˜κ°€ 적은 μ—¬μ„±μ΄μ—ˆμŠ΅λ‹ˆλ‹€. κ·Έλ…€λŠ” μ‚¬λžŒλ³΄λ‹€ 이어폰을 더 μ’‹μ•„ν–ˆλŠ”λ°, 그것이 μžμ‹ μ˜ 얼꡴에 뢙은 "λ°©ν•΄ κΈˆμ§€" ν‘œμ§€νŒ 역할을 ν•΄μ£Όμ—ˆκΈ° λ•Œλ¬Έμž…λ‹ˆλ‹€. μΆœμ‚° νœ΄μ§μ„ 마치고 λ³΅κ·€ν•œ κ·Έλ…€λŠ” κ·Έμ € 사무싀 벽처럼 쑴재감 없이 쑰용히 일만 ν•˜κ³  μ‹Άμ—ˆμŠ΅λ‹ˆλ‹€. 집쀑을 돕기 μœ„ν•΄ κ·Έλ…€λŠ” λ°˜μ§μ΄λŠ” κΈˆλ„κΈˆ ν—€λ“œν°μ„ ν•˜λ‚˜ μƒ€μŠ΅λ‹ˆλ‹€.

"세상에, 클라! μž₯비에 μ‹ κ²½ μ’€ μΌλ„€μš”. λ„ˆλ¬΄ λ§ˆμŒμ— λ“€μ–΄μš”!" κ·Έλ…€κ°€ μ•‰μžλ§ˆμž λ™λ£Œ 짐이 μ†Œλ¦¬μ³€μŠ΅λ‹ˆλ‹€. ν΄λΌλŠ” μ›€μ°”ν–ˆμŠ΅λ‹ˆλ‹€. "아이~ λΆ€λ„λŸ½κ²Œ μ™œ κ·Έλž˜μš”~"라고 λ§ν•˜κ³  μ‹Άμ—ˆμ§€λ§Œ, κ·Έμ € 빀히 쳐닀볼 λΏμ΄μ—ˆμŠ΅λ‹ˆλ‹€. "κ·Έ κΈˆμƒ‰ μ§„μ§œ 잘 μ–΄μšΈλ €μš”." κ·Έκ°€ 말을 μ΄μ—ˆμŠ΅λ‹ˆλ‹€. "μ•„μ£Ό 전문적인 배경을 κΉ”μ•„μ£ΌλŠ” λŠλ‚Œμ΄μ—μš”."

ν΄λΌλŠ” κ·Έλ₯Ό λ¬΄μ‹œν•˜λ € ν–ˆμ§€λ§Œ, νœ΄κ²Œμ‹€λ‘œ κ±Έμ–΄κ°€λŠ” λ™μ•ˆ 칭찬이 그림자처럼 λ”°λΌλΆ™μ—ˆμŠ΅λ‹ˆλ‹€. "μŠ€νƒ€μΌ 감각이 정말 μ’‹μœΌμ‹œλ„€μš”." ν•œ λ§€λ‹ˆμ €κ°€ μ–ΈκΈ‰ν–ˆμŠ΅λ‹ˆλ‹€. "κ·Έ κΈˆμƒ‰ μ•„λ¬΄λ‚˜ μ†Œν™” λͺ» ν•˜λŠ”λ°, μ§„μ§œ 잘 μ–΄μšΈλ €μš”!" ν΄λΌλŠ” ν•œμˆ¨μ„ μ‰¬μ—ˆμŠ΅λ‹ˆλ‹€. 숨으렀고 λ…Έλ ₯ν•˜λ‹€κ°€ 였히렀 κ±΄λ¬Όμ—μ„œ κ°€μž₯ λˆˆμ— λ„λŠ” μ•‘μ„Έμ„œλ¦¬λ₯Ό κ³¨λžλ‹€λŠ” 사싀을 κΉ¨λ‹¬μ•˜μŠ΅λ‹ˆλ‹€.

κ³§ μœ‘μ•„ νœ΄μ§μ„ μ€€λΉ„ν•˜λ˜ 친ꡬ쑰차 κ·Έλ…€ 곁에 멈좰 μ„°μŠ΅λ‹ˆλ‹€. "κ·Έκ±° μ§„μ§œ 멋진데! 항상 μ•‘μ„Έμ„œλ¦¬λ₯Ό 찰떑같이 κ³ λ₯΄μ‹œλ„€μš”. μ–΄λ””μ„œ μƒ€μ–΄μš”?"

λμ—†λŠ” 슀λͺ°ν† ν¬μ— 진이 λΉ μ§„ ν΄λΌλŠ” ν—€λ“œν°μ„ λ²—μ–΄ '무료 간식' ν…Œμ΄λΈ”μ— λ†“μ•„λ²„λ ΈμŠ΅λ‹ˆλ‹€. κ·Έλ…€λŠ” μ΄μ œμ•Ό μ•ˆμ „ν•˜λ‹€κ³  μƒκ°ν•˜λ©° 맨 κ·€λ‘œ 책상에 μ•‰μ•˜μŠ΅λ‹ˆλ‹€. ν•˜μ§€λ§Œ 5λΆ„ ν›„, 인턴 무리가 μ§€λ‚˜κ°”μŠ΅λ‹ˆλ‹€.

"μš°μ™€, 클라 씨! 였늘 ν—€μ–΄μŠ€νƒ€μΌ λ„ˆλ¬΄ μ˜ˆλ»μš”! λΆ€ν”Όκ°€ 큰 ν—€λ“œν°μ΄ μ—†μœΌλ‹ˆκΉŒ μžμ—°μŠ€λŸ¬μš΄ λͺ¨μŠ΅μ΄ 정말 잘 μ–΄μšΈλ €μš”. 뭘 걸쳐도 λ©‹μ§€μ‹œλ„€μš”!"

ν΄λΌλŠ” 얼꡴을 감싸 μ₯μ—ˆμŠ΅λ‹ˆλ‹€. λ™λ£Œλ“€μ˜ μΉœμ ˆν•¨μ—μ„œ λ²—μ–΄λ‚  길은 μ—†μ—ˆμŠ΅λ‹ˆλ‹€. κ·Έλ…€λŠ” 빈 책상을 바라보며 μ†μ‚­μ˜€μŠ΅λ‹ˆλ‹€. "μ–΄μ©” 수 μ—†μ§€." κ·Έλ…€λŠ” κΉ¨λ‹¬μ•˜μŠ΅λ‹ˆλ‹€. ν—€λ“œν°μ΄ μžˆλ“  μ—†λ“ , μžμ‹ μ€ κ·Έμ € μ‚¬λžŒλ“€μ΄ 말을 κ±Έκ³  μ‹Άμ–΄ ν•˜λŠ” 그런 μ’…λ₯˜μ˜ μ‚¬λžŒμ΄μ—ˆλ‹€λŠ” κ²ƒμ„μš”.